Found You
by amber24-03
Summary: Summary: Daryl finds Carol and struggles to confront his feelings when he's thought to have lost her. Set after 4x04 – Indifference.
1. Prologue

_A/N: My creative writing professor in college could never stress his point enough: flashback sequences just don't work. Well, I'm doing it anyway. Set after 4x04 – Indifference. Officially AU. I trust you all will let me know if this works or not._

_Side note: I apologize for the Rick-hate. But I needed to blow off some steam. I also apologize if any of the characters, at any point in time, seem OOC. And I apologize again for the short chapter. But it's a prologue. They're supposed to be short, right? :)_

_**Summary:**__ Daryl finds Carol and struggles to confront his feelings when he's thought to have lost her. Set after 4x04 – Indifference._

**xxx**

**Found You**

**PROLOGUE**

_The rickety green minivan was well past its brink, the rpm needle steadily creeping its way into the red as he pressed the pedal further to the floor. He beat his fists on the steering wheel and screamed at the thing to move faster, the pile of tin sputtering and hissing in response, sometimes so violently that Daryl was sure this was the moment it would give out altogether. But it never broke down. Not for 30 miles yet._

_He cast a nervous gaze in her direction, needing to see the comforting rise and fall of her chest. He watched her for a while, sparing casual glances at the road ahead as the rear tires kicked up gravel, leaving a trail of settling dust behind them. Her breathing hiccupped, her exhale coming out in the form of a wheeze, and inwardly, he panicked._

"_Stay with me," He whispered, hands clenching the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white from the skin pulled taut against the bone. "We're almost there. Just a lil longer."_

"_Daryl..." She coughed, choking on her ragged breaths. It was a struggle for her, Daryl noted; a struggle to talk, to move ... to breathe. It had been since he pulled her out of that car. How long has she been there like that, in and out of consciousness, drenched in sweat and struggling just to keep her breath? It had taken them days to get back with the supplies, he calculated, and she wasn't very far from the town drawn on his map. How long had the others lasted when they were like this? When they were this far gone?_

"_It's ... no .. use," She coughed again, Daryl wanting to shout out every obscenity in the book when that single cough led to a full-blown attack. He looked away from her then, his mind focusing on his blinding hatred for his former best friend as she fought to catch her breath and regain composure. "He .. They won't want me..."_

_He wanted to kill Rick for this, a slow, torturous death that guaranteed he knew every ounce of pain, every agonizing second. And he needed to be the one to do it. He needed to see that look in Rick's eyes, the shock and betrayal from being blindsided by his most trusted ally; the recognition as it filtered across his face when Rick finally knew how she felt when he had left her. _

"_He's gonna fix this," Daryl argued. "He's gonna make it right. He's gonna get you well, an' then you an' me, we can go anywhere."_

_She fought to sit up, her weak arms struggling against her weight, shaking her head as best she could against his claims. His arm crossed the space between them, landing lightly on her shoulder and keeping her firmly in place. "Don' move."_

"_They need .. you. You ... can't leave."_

"_Don' talk. Rest." _

"_Daryl.." She resisted, trying meekly to fight against the arm that still held her in place._

"_No!" He said harshly, feeling her flinch against the steel in his voice. In an instant, he pulled his hand back mortified, as if touching her had suddenly burned him, all the while, the same angering thought reverberating within him. This was all Rick's fault._

"_No you, no me," He said finally, his voice softening only slightly. "We're a packaged deal, an' if he don't want you, he don't want me." Daryl turned his head to look at her from across the van, trying his best to muster a smile and keep the edge out of his voice despite the rage that threatened to take control. _

"_Now rest. Please."_

_Her first instinct was to defy him, fight against his command and continue to say what she needed to say. Though she tried to hide it, it was written all over her sweat-drenched, hallowed face. But he was secretly thankful she just nodded instead, too weak to fight against the exhaustion that was sinking into her. She coughed again, her frail frame shaking significantly from the impact, and she settled herself down, laying her forehead against his arm that rested on top of the middle console._

_She was burning up._


	2. Part 1

_**Summary:**__ Daryl finds Carol and struggles to confront his feelings when he's thought to have lost her. Set after 4x04 – Indifference._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Not mine._

_**A/U:**__ Happy belated Thanksgiving. Here's the next chapter for you. It could have been longer, but I found a nice stopping point before it became TOO long. This won't be a long story. I imagine 5 or 6 chapters max. I do better that way. Forewarning, I'm a little mellow dramatic in this one. So sue me. :)_

_Thank you everyone who has taken the time to like, follow or review what I've written so far. Your encouragement and support is what inspires me to keep going. I hope you all will enjoy what's next. Please let me know. I've read this chapter a million times by now, and I don't have a beta, so I apologize in advance for any errors you may find. _

**xxx**

**Found You**

_**Several hours earlier ...**_

**PART ONE**

He couldn't explain it; the overwhelming sense of dread that threatened to suffocate him as the prison's high walls peaked up over the horizon. It looked different – empty – and as Daryl reached for the window handle, needing the cool breeze to settle his piqued nerves, he tried not to focus on all of the reasons as to why that could be. The window creaked from months of neglect as he turned the crank, parting the foggy piece of glass just enough so that the breeze could find him completely. With the other hand, he fingered the smooth, green stone and stared into it with purpose, his mind wandering back to the sick that took up most of A Block. He worried about the others all while trying to deny the fact that somewhere, deep down in the pit of his stomach, he was worried about Carol, too.

Michonne glanced at Daryl from the driver's seat, eyeing his movements with a wary eye while Bob and Tyreese continued to sit quietly in the back, oblivious to the uneasiness that radiated off the hunter's stealth frame. "You okay?" Her voice was deep and gruff as it bounced off the car's interior walls.

Daryl shrugged, "Jus' got a bad feeling, s'all."

"What kind of feeling?"

"Jus' feel like somethin's waiting for us on the other side of those gates," He motioned toward the prison, now fully within view.

Call it a premonition or some kind of jacked up version of a sixth sense, but she flashed before his eyes in that moment, vulnerable, crying and helplessly alone. The uneasiness in his gut intensified, and he gripped the green stone tighter. Hoping it would work its calming magic on him, Daryl shifted in his seat, suddenly all too anxious to have her there greeting him when they parked.

But she didn't.

Daryl noticed it as soon as he'd stepped out to meet them: the lag in Rick's step and how his body hunched over so slightly that anyone less observant would have never spotted the alarmingly obvious change in posture. He looked worn and tired, defeated, stopping to stand several feet away from them. And Daryl couldn't help but notice that, out of all the others, Rick avoided his gaze the most.

"Somethin' up?" Daryl asked, calling out the tension in the air, hoisting his gear and crossbow onto his shoulders.

Rick dug his hands in to his pocket and shrugged, "Not the right time." His eyes flickered to Tyreese, who was unloading a few bags of recovered medicine. And suddenly Daryl understood. It was about the murders.

"Go on in," He told the others. "I'll catch up."

They nodded, and Daryl watched Rick as Michonne, Bob and Tyreese worked diligently to clear the van of their supplies. He studied the man whose eyes trailed the others, concentrating on their steps and the sound of heavy feet scraping along tattered concrete, who continued to stare unblinking at the metal door leading into C Block long after they had disappeared behind it. Daryl narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the man, who, during all this, never cast even a fleeting glance his way.

Rick cleared his throat, shifting his weight from foot to foot while refusing to meet Daryl's watchful gaze.

"How's everyone?" Daryl finally asked, uncomfortable by the thick silence and tension that had fallen between them.

"Good," Rick answered. "Think you made it back just in time."

"Good," Daryl's lips quirked as the relief began to calm him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly to reveal just the hint of a relaxed smile. "Glad to hear it. Found some good stuff. Think Dr. S and Hershel will have everyone up an' walkin' around in no time."

Rick just nodded, the cloud of tension blanketing them again as Daryl's mind went back to the one person that had been the sole source of the uneasiness in his gut. "Hey, you seen Carol around?" His eyes scanned the yard, lifting his hand to shield them from the blinding sun. "Got something I wanna show 'er. Somethin' I found while we were out."

It wasn't how Rick chose not to answer his question immediately, or how he dropped his head to take in their shadows reflecting off the concrete that had Daryl's hyperactive mind imagining the worst. It was how in the minutes that stretched out between them, Rick refused to answer his question at all, like he was hiding from having to utter the words himself. It was all too painfully clear then that something _had _happened, and it had happened to _her_.

With the explanation dangling on the tip of Rick's tongue, Daryl realized then that he didn't want to know; that he wasn't ready to know.

"She inside?" Daryl asked, suddenly desperate to be anywhere but here, away from Rick and the dread that threatened to choke him. "I'll just go find 'er."

He took a quick step to move around Rick, only to be halted in an instant by a firm hand planting itself against his chest. "Daryl," Rick said quietly, his voice heavy with emotion and uncertainly. It was in that moment that Rick finally looked up to meet his gaze, and Daryl had to look away, staring longingly at the same metal door to C Block that had captivated his friend's attention only moments ago. If he could just get to that door, get to his cell, get some time alone, he'd come back. He'd face this when he was ready. He wasn't ready.

Daryl tried to push against him, desperate for the comfort of his moldy cell, and Rick resisted. "Hold up a minute, would ya? There's something I need to tell you," He paused. "It's about Carol."

"No," He said, pushing his friend's hand off him. "Don't tell me, Rick. I don't want to know."

Rick cleared his throat, "You have to know."

The dread in his stomach bubbled up and coursed through him like ice in his veins. He took in a deep breath, hoping it would soothe his frayed nerves, turning his back to Rick and taking a few long strides back to the green minivan. With the hatch still open, Daryl shrugged off his gear and threw it into the van with a curse, his bow and rucksack slamming against the back seat and falling to the floor with a clatter. He braced himself against the bumper, doubling over and stretching his arms against the edge of the vehicle, taking the few moments to gather himself.

"She sick?" His voice cracked from his strain against the emotions coursing through him.

He didn't turn to look at Rick as his spoke, his gaze locked on the ragged carpeting of the back of their stolen beat up minivan. He couldn't. Because if he had, it was have been all too clear that having to remain here, having to hear what Rick needed to tell him because Rick thought it best, was killing him inside.

When Rick didn't answer immediately, he straightened himself and turned slowly. "Is she sick?"

Daryl tried not to react to the wide-eyed expression that marred Rick's face at this sight of his own, at the tears that reflected in the sunlight and the pain that radiated through the worry lines in his forehead as he struggled to brace himself for the worst.

"N-No," Rick said finally, his eyes taking in all of the man that stood before him. "No, Daryl, she's not sick."

Daryl looked down. "She dead?"

"We weren't sure how long it would be before you got back. We weren't sure how long the others could wait. So Carol and I went to this small town about 40 minutes out. We thought we'd scour a few houses, see what we could find that might hold everyone over in the mean time."

"She bit? She hurt?"

Rick shook his head. "No."

"She dead?" Daryl asked again.

"No."

Daryl expelled a heavy breath, falling back to sit on the edge of the minivan, his shoulders slumped in relief. "Fuck." He would have laughed if his nerves weren't standing on the edge with irritation. "Then what, Rick? Jesus. Spit it out, would ya?"

"She's gone."


	3. Part 2

_**Summary:**__ Daryl finds Carol and struggles to confront his feelings when he's thought to have lost her. Set after 4x04 – Indifference._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Not mine._

_**A/U:**__ So I just finished editing this a few minutes ago and wanted to get it up quickly. Without further a due, part three and the conclusion of their confrontation. This story seems to be weaving itself into a more complex progression. So while I still don't anticipate it to be long, it might longer than previously stated._

_I'm really excited to get PART FOUR out to you. It isn't completely written yet, but I've started it, and I think (hope) it'll be something that you all will like. So if you've got a minute, show me some love (or constructive criticism, whichever you prefer) to let me know you're still interested. A million thank yous to everyone who has supported this story thus far. You guys are awesome, and I cherish all of the reviews, favorites and likes I get from you. It tells me you're at least enjoying what I'm trying to do here. _

_Read on, my friends! _

**xxx**

**Found You**

**PART TWO**

His vision blurred, a sudden pounding in his head threatening to split him in two as the short sentence echoed over and over again in his mind like a broken record. _She's gone. _Daryl wasn't sure how he was supposed to process this information, something he hadn't thought to prepare himself for while steeling himself against all of the other, more likely, scenarios that had filtered through his mind. She'd left? On her own? But why?

"She's gone?" Daryl looked up at Rick, who met his gaze tentatively, his lean frame still slouched against the minivan, his brows furrowed with confusion, question and the need to understand.

Rick just nodded, and Daryl felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Why?"

It was as simple question; one that Rick could have answered simply. But when he stiffened, undoubtedly preparing himself against the onslaught that threatened, Daryl couldn't help but wonder why. Something wasn't right.

"It was Carol," Rick clenched his jaw and dropped his gaze to the ground. "Who killed Karen and David. She was the one who burned their bodies. She admitted it to me while you and the others were out on your run."

"What? That's bullshit."

Rick's hands went to his hips. "I assure you it's not."

Daryl expelled a heavy breath as his mind reeled. He couldn't process this, couldn't even begin to understand how he was supposed to. Carol was gone. She had killed Karen and David. And despite how serious he was when he'd uttered the words to Tyreese days before, he could no longer fathom putting a bolt through her because of it. _Because it was Carol._ There was more to this. There had to be.

"We can't have her here." The words penetrated through the fog in his mind, his eyes snapping up to meet Rick's as he began to determine what those words meant. Rick stood, his back straight, his posture full and tall. "We found a car, loaded it up with supplies and she left."

Daryl tensed, his eyes searching Rick for several minutes before he finally asked, "She left or you sent her away?"

"She couldn't remain here, Daryl. Not after what she'd done." Daryl didn't wait for him to continue, though the mumbled words at his back indicated that he had. He was up and closing the hatch on the minivan in seconds, leaving his gear and rucksack where he'd tossed them. Daryl walked around to the driver's side of the van, nearly ripping the door off its hinges in his attempt to open it. It was in that moment that he finally felt the deep seeded anger coursing through his body, boiling up and pushing him beyond his breaking point. He couldn't help but react first against the news that their leader, who had decided he no longer wanted to lead, had made such a life altering decision without them.

"What are you doing?"

The voice was stern at his back, and Daryl whipped around to face Rick, fire in his eyes. "I'm goin' to get 'er."

"No."

Daryl stood toe-to-toe with Rick, bowing up against him and pushing him back only to get right back in his face. "Let's get one thin' straight right here, right now. Ain't nobody goin' to tell me what I can and can't do, least of all you!"

Rick took a step back, holding his hands up as sign of surrender before placing them back against his hips. "You won't find her, Daryl. It's been more than 24 hours at this point. She left before I did. She has a car. She's gone."

He was in his face again, pushing him back roughly, barely containing the itch to knock Rick to the ground. "You ain't got no right, Rick. This wasn't your call ta make. I'll find 'er. You'll tell me exactly where you went, and where she went, and I'll find 'er. And I'll bring 'er back here."

The sound of the buckles on her boots could be heard from several yards away as she approached them, Rick and Daryl paying her no mind as they continued to regard each other with the same fiery determination, both refusing to back down against their cause. She watched them, coming to a halt before them, her gaze going back and forth as she tried her hardest to decipher the scene that was laid out before her.

"Everything okay?" Michonne asked.

Clearing his throat, Daryl took a step back and pulled his eyes away from Rick to look at Michonne. "You still have that map?" He was referencing the one she had used to track The Governor, something he had retrieved from an abandoned gas station on a run not long after the last showdown, a token of his own support to her back when it mattered. They had spent countless hours together, staring over the thing, hoping that it could somehow give them insight into the Governor's next move. Daryl knew that she would understand what it would mean to give up that map now, in a moment where he needed her support.

Michonne nodded sharply, her expectant gaze waiting for an explanation as to why he was asking for it. "Can you bring it here?" His eyes went back to the man still standing firm in front of him. "Rick's gonna point out where he and Carol went on that run. And I'm goin' to go find 'er."

Rick shook his head, "I won't."

"The hell you won't."

"Wait a minute," Michonne stepped in between them, stretching out her arms to force them back a couple of steps, her fingertips pushing against their chests. When she was satisfied with the distance, she turned to look at Rick. "What happened to Carol?"

"She killed Karen and David. I told her she was no longer welcome here."

Her eyes went wide. "What? She told you that?"

Rick didn't say a word but nodded affirmatively.

Daryl was quick to speak up, pushing against the hand that still kept him at bay. "There's more to it. I know there is. Did you even bother to ask her?"

"She had every opportunity to tell me if there were. She killed them, in cold blood, to try and stop something that had already spread."

Daryl shook his head, insistent on his own known truth. He knew her. "She didn't do this."

Michonne dropped her hands from their chests, her eyes finding Daryl, a soft, understanding smile playing on her lips, "I'll get the map."

She had taken just a few steps toward C Block when harsh words stopped her in her tracks.

"Michonne, don't."

She turned around and looked at Rick with sad eyes. "Let's give her a chance to have her say. If she still stands her ground, says she isn't sorry, says she did it, then you have my full support."

Rick and Michonne continued to regard each other, her gait halted until she was able to obtain his final stamp of approval. He remained silent for several minutes, casting doubt-ridden glances in Daryl's direction, his eyes eventually softening at the crumbling image he saw there before he dropped his head and finally offered a short nod of acceptance.


End file.
